Cursed Child of Tuskar
by Vixeria
Summary: Roya is taken from Tumblar and brought to Tuskar for one purpose and one purpose only: to show the true origin of the cursed child and to show how Tumblar had kidnapped one of their own. Can Zed make it in time to save Roya and stop the breaking of a war, or is it already too late?
1. Ch 1: Unease

**-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1- Unease -1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-**

She had been growing restless as of late. It didn't matter that the wars were over or that she was home, carefree and completely content. It was the fact that there was a growing unease in the pit of her stomach and she couldn't seem to shake the feeling whatsoever. It was just too...she didn't even know the right word to describe the feeling. Unsettling, perhaps was the best word to use, but even with that one word, it seemed to not accurately describe just how _unsettled_ she felt.

It was okay a week ago. She and Zed had just returned home after a big battle and were greeted by Mikki. They settled in and before she knew it, she had gotten a job at the nearest nursing home. Mikki had informed them that he had two bakeries going, which was great and all, but that left Zed just out in the open. So Roya and Mikki were the only two in the household actually working, unless you counted the missions that the council people sent Zed on. Usually he made boggles of gold, and he usually just threw it on the table to help pay for whatever expenses were needed for the the month, but other than that, he usually just hung out either around the house or in the forest by the river and lake. It was pretty easy to scout him out. Well, for her it was anyway.

But then...that unsettling feeling came when she was dressing in her nightgown one night. She happened to notice that her curtain was open from her window, and although she was on the second story of the building, she felt a little weird. She always had the window wide open to let the cool breeze waft through the room. She knew it was a bad idea to actually leave the window open like that, but because the wind seemed to calm her, she left it open every night and shut it the second the sun began to rise in the sky the following morning. So that night, she closed the window as well as the curtain and slept a little uneasily.

The following day felt a little awkward. She was just as talkative as she always was and before work she hung out with Mikki and Zed by the lake and they fished for a while. But, after that little while, that strange feeling came back and she had the urge to look around just to see if she could find something out of the ordinary. Of course, to the naked eye, she hadn't seen one detail out of place. And, as luck would have it, Zed and Mikki would ask what was wrong with her because she would suddenly grow very quiet and then she would just reply that she was fine and that she was going to be late. That, of course, was her usual excuse and had continued to be her excuse for the rest of the week.

On the third day, she definitely felt out of sorts. The council people had told Master Zico, who in turn informed Zed and Roya, that there had been a report of random shiftings throughout the area. Though the shifts were too far out to really calculate or pinpoint their source, it was likely that whoever it was would be there in town and to keep a look out. Apparently, the shifts weren't approved through the council, so they just had to lay in wait until their mysterious people decided to show themselves. And with this new information, brought about that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Yesterday had to be the worst of all, however. Roya had gotten the day off and she had decided that she was going to wear something different today. She wanted to be alone, if only for a little bit and had decided to wear a light dress and a shawl to cover her horns on her shoulders. She still wasn't quite sure how to deal with the fact that she was a Tuskan, therefore, she just covered it up to escape those thoughts. However, Zed had decided to stay home as well so that left the two of them together.

Zed was in the living room doing whatever it was he always did and she was in the kitchen preparing lunch for them both. She was thinking of bringing a lunch to Mikki as well as his new girlfriend and was happily baking some bread as well as heating up a few other items. A little desert and she was done. However...when she was _just _taking the bread out of the oven, she closed the door and turned from the oven. But at that same moment...there was a cold draft that swept through the room. It had _felt_ like someone was in the kitchen with her. There was another gust of wind, but this time, it was a bit stronger and it knocked the tray out of her hands and landed with a loud clatter on the ground. Her shawl flew back and landed on top of the counter. In that moment, Zed came rushing in, wondering what was happening. And for the longest moment, he stared at her shoulders before actually bringing his eyes to her own.

She didn't know what to think after that and had promptly stepped around the ruined bread and shut the windows. All the while, she had felt as if something, or someone, was keeping a close eye on her.

Today, however, seemed peaceful. She and Zed still had no clues as to who had invaded Tumblar and things were as quiet and as peaceful as ever. She still hadn't shaken the feeling of being watched, but she also figured it was just her overactive imagination. Zed was sitting beside her by the river and Mikki was on the other side of her, just laying in the grass. She was happy, she really was, but still...there was that nagging feeling of unease.

* * *

_**I am mostly writing this fic to see how far it will go. I have only recently come across the anime series called Kiba. I'm actually on episode 47 (or 48 not sure, I have it saved on my laptop somewhere...) and I'm getting there. They had just escaped the destruction of Ginga's home (or what I assume was his home. For some reason, I can't ever remember the name of the place) and Amear Gall had taken both Zed and Roya away from there without even so much as going back to look for Ginga. I nearly cried - I was JUST beginning to grow a bit of a anime-fan-crush on Ginga. Lol!**_

_**But yeah, there is WAY too little fanfics out there and there needs to be a lot more! I can't believe not a whole lot of people know about this series! It's such a nice series. Oh yeah, I also remember that Zed just found out about his father. (I just remembered about that...GAH! I wanted to see his face!) But yeah. The series is getting good.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the fanfic so far (even though there is hardly anything here at all) and continue to bare with me as I update. I actually have a few other stories (and althought it is VERY VERY VERY bad for me to post a new story...I'm still working on the others...so...don't kill me! Lol!) But yeah, hope you like!**_

_**Oh...and...Review please!**_


	2. Ch 2: Ultimate Goal

**-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2- Ultimate Goal -2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-**

"Are you really okay, Roya?" He asked when they were actually alone. They had come back from the lake a little while before. Mikki had already gone off to the bakery and Roya was getting ready to go to the nursing home. She was currently in the process of packing her bag. She always packed a spare change of clothes because she dressed in her nursing outfit for the day and afterward, she would want to change later.

But when he asked her that question...she was torn between whether or not to tell him of her feelings. "Zed..." She began, but she really didn't know how to continue on.

Zed sighed and shrugged. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he crossed his arms and was turning to leave the room, but instead, she called his name, causing him to pause in the middle of the doorway.

"I've been feeling weird lately," Roya muttered. Zed furrowed his brows and turned to face her. Roya set her bag down at the foot of her bed and sat down. She sighed and rubbed her neck. She looked at her window - it was open again. She got back up and went to shut the window and the curtain.

"You've been doing that all week," Zed said, "what's got you so worked up?"

"Zed...I feel like there's someone watching me," Roya said, "I can't explain it. It just feels like...I'm not alone anymore. I just...I don't know. There's something out there, Zed. He, or they, or it, whatever - it's just waiting for me to make a wrong move. Waiting for me to be truly alone before it can strike and take me away. I feel very uneasy, Zed. And it's not a very good feeling."

Zed furrowed his brows even further. "You've been feeling like this all week," it was a question, no, not really. It was more like a statement, one that he seemed to only just notice.

She nodded her head in confirmation as she seated herself back on her bed. "I didn't say anything because it would have made it look as though I were insane or something. I didn't want to look as though the warring and everything had taken its toll on my mind. Believe me, I don't particularly care for all of that. I just- I don't feel right anymore."

"You want me to walk you to the nursing home?" Zed asked, not really sure how to make her feel as though she were safe.

"If you don't mind," Roya said with a soft smile, picking her bag up off the floor and following him out the door. "Yesterday was the worst. When you saw me yesterday in the kitchen. There was like these gusts of wind that wafted through the entire kitchen. It was hard enough to make me stumble and lose my balance."

"Why didn't you say- oh, right," Zed said before rubbing his neck. "If this continues, let me know. I'll tell Master Zico and-"

"Please don't," Roya said, "I don't want anyone else to know. If they found out, they'll think I'm crazy! I'm not a nut case, Zed, I'm not! I don't want to seem like some defenseless little girl that doesn't even know how to take care of herself! I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

"If that's true, then you don't need me here to walk you anywhere," Zed retorted.

Roya bit her mouth shut and chose her words carefully. "You give me peace of mind, Zed," Roya replied softly, "if there is someone with me, I feel as though nothing can happen."

It was then that they arrived at the nursing home and she took her leave. "See you in a few hours," she said with a wave of her hand. Zed only nodded and they went their separate ways. He was going to talk to Mikki, but only about if he's felt anything unusual in the air or seen anything different lately. He wasn't going to mention Roya and her unsettling feelings, mostly per her request, but that didn't mean he couldn't jump around her.

* * *

Roya stretched as she finished getting out of her work clothes. She was going to go pick up Mikki after she was done here. She quickly stuffed her work clothes in her bag so that she could wash them later on and slipped out the door before anyone could notice she was gone. She grabbed her pay for the day and went off toward the front gates of the nursing home. Surprisingly, Zed was there waiting for her. "How was work?" He greeted.

"Good way to get my mind off things," Roya replied. "I'm surprised you're here."

"Yeah, well," Zed said, placing his hands behind his head and crossing them. "Someone once told me that its better to be in pairs cuz then nothing could happen."

Roya smiled, knowing what he was getting at as he followed her to Mikki's bakery. When they got there, Mikki was locking up and was greeting them with a tired, yet happy smile. "I take it work was good today?" Roya asked.

"Yeah," Mikki said with a stretch. "I told the girls to go on home because we ran out of bread for the other bakery a while earlier and I was able to manage to place myself. We didn't have a whole lot of customers today, but we did get a boat load of a request late this afternoon. It was kind of hectic."

Roya smiled as all three of them fell into a casual stride back to the house. It had been a long and stressing day for all three of them. All day, Zed couldn't seem to get Roya off of his mind and had practically tripled his search for these unknown shifters that kept coming and going and not once did he find a single trace of them. He even went door-to-door to ask if there had been anything unusual happening as of late but no one reported anything at all.

* * *

There is such a place where it looks like a cave with stone carvings that formed a unique circle. In the center of the circle was a sort of altar - a special one built just for one individual. Surrounding this circle, however, were several rows of caves stone benches for onlookers to observe and witness whomsoever is placed upon the altar within the circle.

And one person stood at the altar, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship of the marble-like altar that was put on display for several others. The grinned maniacally - his grin stretching from ear to ear as he took in his surroundings. A woman behind him appeared and grinned just as maliciously. "I take it everything is to your liking, my king."

"Everything is perfect," he said, "we now have the official word that one of Tuskar's children is living among Tumblar. Soon, we will have reason to war against Tumblar and take control of their land."

"So I see," the woman said, "tell me, how do you plan to get all of Tuskar to witness such an event?"

"Why," he said, "that should be obvious. We will put her on display and show everyone what she is and who she is for this country. She will become our own little savior. Perhaps not as great as the Great Tuskar himself, but close to enough to cause a new age and era."

"Very well," she said with a nod.

"Are the preparations complete?" He asked.

"They are," she said, nodding again in affirmation, "and in approximately three hours, you will have your _princess_ as well as your new kingdom."

"Perfect," he said, "proceed accordingly." Steps. It took a lot of steps to get to his ultimate goal, but it should be easy when all is completed. No one, not even the Great Tuskar, could stop his evil plans. The wheels of fate have been set in motion - now, all he had to do was watch and wait.

* * *

**_Once again, a short chapter, but a good one. I hope I didn't pack too much info into one chapter, but at least now you know, sort of, who the opposer is._**

**_Review please!_**


	3. Ch 3: Kidnapped

**-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3- Kidnapped -3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-**

Roya looked up when there was a knock at her door. She smiled and told whoever it was to come in. She had just gotten ready for bed and was pretty much in her nightgown. It was a simple gown - it reached to her knees and covered her shoulders and arms to her elbows and it was a white with a hint of blue in it. For once, her hair was down - it really had gotten a bit long. It reached to just past her shoulders and fell straight in waves.

Zed walked in - he didn't have his own red coat on. Just his yellow t-shirt, beige vest, and black pants. His boots were probably downstairs by the front door somewhere. He looked around, his eyes pausing on her slim figure slightly before scanning the rest of the room. "I was just checking," he mumbled. "You can't be too careful, huh?"

"Yeah," Roya said as she climbed onto her bed and got settled beneath the covers. "Goodnight Zed," she said as he began to leave, "and thank you."

Zed didn't reply, instead, he just walked out with barely a nod of his head. She snuggled further into the comfort of her blankets and breathed in a long sigh of relief. She knew that with everything happening right now, Zed was going to be tight on security.

Why did that not make her feel any better?

* * *

It was the middle of the night. Everyone was sound asleep when he slipped inside. It was so easy to invade their home that it was practically a free place to enter. There wasn't any security and he had waited patiently for this Zed person to finally fall asleep before slipping in unnoticed. He literally walked right by the sleeping figure on the couch before walking up the stairs. He was careful not step on the fifth and seventh boards - those were the creaky ones. He had managed to survey the entire house while they had all been gone one day. While they were out and enjoying their time, he took the liberty of thoroughly investigating as well as memorizing every little detail of the house.

He slipped into the girl's room undetected. At first, he jumped and his heart raced when she moaned and turned over in her sleep to face his direction, but upon further inspection, she was as dead asleep as the others in the house. Apparently, they had a very trying day today. He wondered if he would just be able to lift her and jump out the window with her to the tree across the way. He wondered if all the jostling would wake her. In the end, he made sure to do his little trick.

Unfortunately, the cork to his bottle got stuck, so when he forcefully pulled it open, it made a "ping" sort of sound, jolting the young girl awake. "Who's there?" She called. It was quite dark in the room, but for a true Tuskan like himself, he was easily able to see past the darkness. "ZE-" She made to call for Zed, but before she could, something was thrust right beneath her nose. She got one whiff of whatever it was, and she went weak and limp. She stared out in the open with wide, fearful eyes. Whatever it was that she was forced to smell had rendered her motionless.

Suddenly, the door bust open and in ran both Mikki and Zed. They switched on the lights, and the second they saw Roya leaned over half the bed and a man hovering over her, they took charge and immediately went into battle. Well, Mikki tried, but he stayed behind Zed just as a precaution.

Roya was lifted onto the man's shoulders and before long, the two were out the window before Zed could even make a move to stop them. When he reached the window, the man was already taking off running. With wide eyes, he caught a glimpse of the horns - he could only guess who was behind all of the shiftings - Tuskans. Tuskans were invading Tumblar just to get to Roya? Something didn't quite sit right, but whatever was happening, he had to act fast to stop it.

He chased after them, but when he reached them, a shifting circle formed and they disappeared before he could get to her.

Roya was gone...and it was his fault because he hadn't been paying closer attention.

Immediately, he went to Master Zico. He would know what to do.

* * *

"I see," Master Zico said. Yes, it was the dead of the night and he was having tea with his pupil's friend. "So, Roya was taken by a Tuskan and is most likely headed to the island of Tusk."

"What should we do?" Mikki asked, completely at a loss.

"We must be patient," Mast Zico said, "we have no idea why they would want Roya or what their main goal is. However, we do need to act because they have just kidnapped a child of Tumblar."

"But we all know that isn't true," Zed interjected, "Roya is originally from Tusk."

"That may very well be true," Master Zico said, "but the fact remains that her parents had entrusted Roya to me - a man of Tumblar. Therefore, she is a child of Tumblar. This could possibly bring about a war with Tusk if we do not find the reasoning behind all of this."

"Then I'll just go to the Island of Tusk and save her," Zed replied.

"And that could initiate the war," Master Zico said as he rubbed his beard in thought. "Perhaps you can go and find out exactly _why_ they want Roya to begin with." He stood from his chair and went to grab his shawl and staff. "I will contact the council and initiate a meeting. I will speak to them about granting you permission to cross over to Tusk at dawn. I suggest you get back home and get as much rest as you can before your travels."

"Alright," Zed said. Truthfully, he didn't like having to be ordered around. But in order to get what he wanted, which was to go to Tusk and get his friend back, he had to play by the rules. He had to do this right or risk not getting to go at all.

He and Mikki went back home. Zed, at first, was just going to lay on the couch, but he decided to go up to Roya's bedroom. When he got there, he sat on one of the chairs in her room. He saw a bottle of pink liquid on the ground - apparently, that's what was used to keep her silent. He didn't dare to go near it - who knows what it would do if it knocked him out too? He did, however, get close to her bed and took a seat on that in favor of the chair. He would wanted somewhere nice to sit. Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep right there on the corner of Roya's bed.

* * *

"What do you want with me?" Roya asked when she was finally able to move again. She looked around and could tell that she was on the island of Tusk. She didn't want to be here. She was supposed to be at home getting a good night's sleep and wake up to a peaceful day. She was supposed to go to work and she was supposed to help those who were in need of assistance. Then, she, Zed, and Mikki were going to go hang out at the lake again. They were going to have fish for dinner! She was going to make something special, too!

And then this crap happened. She couldn't exactly move, what with her legs and arms being pinned to the sides of a bed. They had taken her spirit from her in case she had tried to escape and wanted to use her spirit to do so. She wouldn't be able to get far and they doubted that she would try to leave without her spirit.

She stared at the guard who was currently watching over her "cell". She was forced to remain here until some "Great Ceremony". They had even sent a few women in to change her clothes - forcefully - so that she would look prepared for the experience. She now wore something white and had gold lining her hips in a V-shaped pattern. Her chest was outlined in that same gold V but it dipped low to show of her gem stone on the center of her chest as well as her neck. Though, it was a black color because they stole her spirit from her. There was a gold tiara-like thing on her forehead, accentuating her beautifully. Her hair was done up in a nice bun with chopsticks and a few strands of hair now outlined her face. Her red eyes seemed to be the only things that stood apart from the rest of her.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm here or not?" Roya asked.

The man could only frown at her before turning the opposite way. Obviously, she wasn't going to be given any answers any time soon.

* * *

**_I figured it was time to get this story rolling. It's getting interesting don't you think? Review please!_**


	4. Ch 4: Exposure

**-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4- Exposure -4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-**

"Alright," Master Zico said, "everything is set."

"Don't forget to get information," Master Robess said, "it wouldn't do to come back empty handed." He winked at Zed as the portal started up.

"Whatever," Zed said, "I'll be back soon."

Master Zico nodded. Robess had been informed by Mikki who had been giving his household his famous bread. He just happened to be in the vicinity and decided to see Zed off. He would have escorted Zed through Tusk, but as it was, he was far too busy to help someone as of right now. Of course - at the time, he wasn't.

Zed arrived at the Island of Tusk sometime that morning. He had actually woken up a little late from a fitful sleep and had only woken up because Mikki had run in telling him to get up. Mikki wasn't able to come with him - after all, he had to two bakeries to help run and as luck would have it, Mikki wasn't exactly "fighter material". So, he went off by himself and here he was now.

Zed had a habit of just going in headstrong, but this morning he had to play things careful, only because the council wanted answers. Zed walked through the island and occasionally came across the rogue Tuskan who wanted his shard for some reason or other. Of course, they never were able to even touch him. In fact, he barely wasted any muscle on any of them. There was, however, the occasional trickster, which was more of an annoyance than anything.

And then he came across the castle. He thought of his options - Option One was to run straight in and hopefully come across Roya, and Option Two was to sneak around and see what information his ears could pick up. He didn't fear either option, but it would probably work in his favor if he were to at least _try_ to get some sort of information from the Tuskans. So...Option Two was obviously the smarter one. To carry out his plans, he knocked out the guards at the front gate and strolled right in, not even caring who may or may not spot him. From there, he just ran around in circles looking for Roya.

* * *

"Move her to the altar," one of the guards said and walked into her cell. They practically dragged her around, nearly ruining her clothes in the process. The ropes that had bound her had rubbed into her skin, causing red splotches to appear around her wrists and ankles. Obviously, the ropes had been knotted to perfection.

When she was at the altar, she was literally thrust onto it and had completely lost her balance. And then...the current King of Tusk stepped up to the side. Grinning, he looked around, and she decided to do the same.

Several rows of Tuskans, both humanoid-like beast-like, were sitting and standing in perfect view of the altar. They were all facing her with utmost curiosity. Apparently, they were just as clueless as she was as to why she was even there. She turned her attention to the king as he raised his arms the crowd went a little wild with excitement - whatever was going to happen was going to be exciting for them, she assumed.

Little did she know, Zed had just stumbled upon the very same room and watched with equal curiosity as the king of Tusk began his speech.

"Children of Tusk, both beast and humanoid," he began, waving his arms to and fro, "many of you I can clearly see are excited for what I have to present to you. However, this is a very serious matter.

"As many of you know, Tumblar has been a rival for some time for the Island of Tusk, and for several different reasons," he paused as if to consider his next words, "I have come to you today with yet another reason why we must conquer Tumblar. Here, I present to you," he reached over and grabbed Roya harshly by her left forearm. She squeaked as she stumbled forward. Her eyes were wide with a hint of fear swirling through her body to display to the gathered crowd. "I present to you a girl from Tumblar." There were several "boos" and "woos", but he silenced them immediately. "Do not be so quick to judge, my comrades, my subordinates, and my brethren," he continued casually, "this woman," he brought her right in front of him and placed both of his hands on the center of her chest, but higher up near her collar bones. He grasped her clothing and then with one forceful jerk, tore the fabric clear of her skin to show her smooth, creamy skin beneath. Luckily, the rip didn't go any lower than mid-chest and covered her more vital parts, but her shoulders and upper chest were now bare to the entire world - at least, that is how it was in her mind. "Behold! I child of Tusk!"

Roya screamed and bent forward to attempt to cover herself from the prying eyes of the Tuskans. She could hear several complaints and yelling. Many were outraged shouts. Some were gasps of shock and resentment. "Yes, my friends," the king continued, "a child of Tusk has somehow been smuggled into Tumblar! It isn't so much that she was there in Tumblar, but the mere fact that she is clearly Tuskan! She was not legally born there nor was she legally brought there by normal terms! Instead, this young woman was taken to Tumblar from right beneath our noses! This girl has given us a reason to invade Tumblar! To take a child from another country is strictly prohibited! They have gone against our rules and regulations, and now we must seek war!" There were shouts of agreement and excitement, but Roya didn't care. She didn't want to become any more exposed than what she was.

It was horrible...using her as some sort of example. They couldn't have found a better way to expose her to Tusk? Instead of make a spectacle of her, they could have calmly asked her their questions. She could have confirmed everything and yet they had to do _this_. It was terrible! And she was still sensitive about the whole Tuskan issue, too! She hadn't wanted anyone to find out...but somehow everyone did. And she was okay with it...but she didn't want others to know! How did the Tuskans even _hear_ about her?

Guards came and dragged her out, each gripping an arm. She didn't have a way to cover herself from there. Her ripped clothing fell down her chest in tatters, and tears spilled over from her eyes. She was absolutely humiliated if she did say so herself. She could only hope that someone would come for her soon.

With a final sob, she disappeared behind closed doors that blocked out all the noise save for the hard clatter of the boots from the guards. She was thrown into a random room, or so she thought, and was pretty much left there to wallow in her self-pity. She laid there on the floor, her face in her crossed arms and the rest of her body sprawled out.

She could hear the guards talking with each other, but whatever they said went straight passed her ears. She could hardly concentrate with all of her crying. She was much too focused on the main event that she even missed the sound of bars breaking.

* * *

_**We all know that this is way out of character, but in order to make the story fit, I wanted to make her a little emotional. Let's just pretend it's her time of the month, okay? Lol!**_


End file.
